This blog is about all things mom and toddler. You'll find art activities, sensory play, yummy food ideas, learning resources, and other fun toddler activities. I hope you have as much fun recreating these parts of my life as we did living them!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Toddler Gifts Under $20

My daughter is turning 2 years old in less than two months from now. I can't believe it! I've been doing a lot of searching for gift ideas for family and friends (so we don't end up with Super Annoying and Loud Plastic Electric Guitar 3000!). A frugal person myself, I don't like seeing others spend more than necessary, so I thought I'd share some great toddler gift ideas that are $20 or less.

I just ordered this for my daughter today. I came across these awesome little magazines while shopping at my local Depot for Creative Reuse. I bought 6 used copies of the magazine (from 2004) for $0.25 each! I didn't realize until I got home that they are actually a subscription magazine! They have colors, shapes, vocabulary, counting, and nature-centered stories inside and they are wonderful.

Honestly, Ikea has a TON of awesome toddler/kid things that are under $20 - check out their website for more fun things! I bought the people finger puppets awhile back for Olive. I recently saw they were carrying the animal puppets and I had to scoop them up! We keep them all in a container in her toy area and use them daily. They are great for inspiring imagination in little ones and are just so darn cute! And yes, they fit on adult fingers, too.

Okay, I could be here all day listing fun things I've purchased from Ikea - this is the last one, I promise! Sturdy, cheap, looks like a delicious slice of watermelon. Need I say more?

Magic Towels - $1.00 each.

If you don't know, magic towels are washcloths that have been compressed into a tiny little square, circle or other shape. When you put them in water, they expand to normal washcloth size. I remember getting these as a kid and LOVED them! It was always so fun to be surprised by the picture on the washcloth (which is usually some kind of bright cartoon). I have found this recently for $1 at stores like The Dollar Tree and the 99cent Store. For that price, you could buy 20 of them and make some kid's day!

Book & Animal Combo from The Dollar Tree - $2.00-$7.00.

It can be The Dollar Tree, The Dollar Store, The 99Cent Store - any store that sells things for $1.00 and under. Check out their children's book section and the toy section to find a book and toys that go together. For example, I purchased all of the items below from The Dollar Tree, for a total of $6.00. All of the animals appear in the book. You might not have these specific ones at your local dollar shop, but I'm sure you can find some kind of book/toy match!

Putumayo are compilation CDs that work with many different artists and span a wide range of cultures. There are dozens of the CDs that are labeled as "Putumayo Presents: Kids", but honestly, I love listening to them as an adult. They truly do provide music that the whole family can enjoy! (Listen to a sample on Amazon or iTunes!)

You can find countless puzzles out there for under $20 and some that are really educational, too. Discount School Supply has a number of great wooden puzzles as do Melissa and Doug. Personally, I prefer wooden puzzles because they have a sort of nostalgic feel and they are much sturdier than cardboard puzzle pieces.

Do you have any favorite toddler gift ideas under $20 that we could add to the list?

About Olive's Mama

Hi there! My name is Natalie and I am a mama to a beautiful 1 1/2 year old little girl, Olive. I am married to my husband Jonathan and we live in sunny California. After my daughter turned one, I left my job as a teacher to stay home full-time. I have really gotten into crafting and art projects as a way to keep us busy as well as enrich my daughter. I have always loved creating art and crafting and I'm hoping this blog will give me motivation to do more of that! I love to be creative in many areas of my life and I hope you do, too! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know! :)